BAY CITY, MI — It's a match made in music heaven, Brian Vander Ark and his wife, Lux Land.

The married song writers each bring a different side to things when they set about writing songs.

And people attending their Dec. 14 Christmas concert at Bay City's State Theatre can judge for themselves.

“My wife writes darker than I do,” said Vander Ark. “She writes about sad things, I write about happy things.”

Take for example the song, “All I Want,” about a couple separated during the Christmas season. The couple perform it as a duet.

The song, along with other originals and a few covers are on the group's Christmas CD, “Wonderland,” released in 2011.

Those songs will be part of the show when Vander Ark, Land and guests Channing and Quinn perform a concert of the same name.

With everything there is to say about Christmas already set to music, where do ideas come from for new stuff?

“It's the same thing, like every love song has been written,” said Vander Ark. “You have to find a new way to say something old and not be cliché. That's the whole challenge of being a songwriter. Every note of music has already been written by Bach and the Beatles. You just have to make it new and fresh. If I didn't think I was up to the challenge, I would be working at McDonald's.”

He is more than up to the challenge, beginning his musical life in the popular band Verve Pipe. Although he still plays with the group, he is on the solo circuit as well.

“We do a lot of kid's shows,” said Vander Ark of Verve Pipe. “We're working on a new kid's record. The last year I have been concentrating my energy on that kid's album.”

He's also got a fresh approach when it comes to performing. In the summer, Vander Ark heads out across the country and Canada doing something he calls Lawn Chairs and Living Rooms. Playing in living rooms and backyards, since there aren't many venues such as the State for him to present his craft.

“Playing in people's homes is much better than playing in a smoky bar,” he said. “You get into a town, play in a really crappy bar with a surly sound man. It's not beneficial to the musicians who have driven all the way there, or the fans who want to see you. Homes are the perfect venue for a singer songwriter.”

At present, Vander Ark is playing 100 of those a year. Those concerts have spawned a blog and a video of the performance.

He and Land will also be hitting the road with Verve Pipe performing the new children's CD as well.

There is another CD in the offering. This time teaming up with Channing and Quinn.

“We don't know if we will form a band or how we'll do it,” said Vander Ark.

As for Channing and Quinn, the duo performed with Vander Ark the last time he stopped at the State. Based in Nashville, the two hooked up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, N.C. This isn't just a couple of guitars, the two men play ukulele, accordion, drums, glockenspiel, and banjo, just to name a few.

A familiar face will also be in the crowd on stage. Bay City's own Andy Reed will be playing bass. Reed also performs with Verve Pipe.

In spite of his busy schedule, Vander Ark is excited to get back to the State, one of the few venues, he says, that embraces original music.

“I love Bay City,” said Vander Ark. “I love watching the resurgence of Bay City, watching how it has grown in the past 10 years. I'm happy to be back.”

If you go:

What: Wonderland: A Celebration of Christmas with Brian Vander Ark and Family